West Village to UES

The driver felt it necessary to honk at every. single. stoplight.

the short bus


So that you look even more uncool arriving at an event in a cab. ( via gawker)

W 12th to Broadway

Rancid Ocean Breezes car freshner.

Hell a Taxi is up and running again for your reading pleasure. And posting, hint hint.

In case you missed it:

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2006
penn station to west village

After sneezing, then wiping the aftermath on the steering wheel, the driver said, "Just can't seem to get over this damn cold. Don't know what the hell it is but I've been feeling like shit."

And you guys wonder why I'm obsessive with the hand sanitizer.
POSTED BY JACQUE AT 9:39 PM


WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2006
taxi withdrawal

i just realized that i haven't taken a taxi since early morning january 16th, from williamsburg to LES. ????!!!?!!?!!???
POSTED BY JAC O AT 11:04 AM


FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2006
jfk to west village

My driver wore a porkpie hat but no seatbelt.
POSTED BY JACQUE AT 11:51 AM


FRIDAY, JANUARY 13, 2006
the magic of peabo

As we pulled up to JFK, the song playing on Smooth FM was, "If Ever You're In My Arms Again." When I got into the car at LAX, what do you think was playing? Well, it wasn't that song, but "If Ever..." did come on next.
POSTED BY JACQUE AT 12:50 PM


MONDAY, JANUARY 09, 2006
les to west village, 2am the other night

A long block from my apartment, the cab driver stopped the car and hit the meter.
Me: "Please take me to Hudson, I don't live here."
Him: "I don't care."

Sensing he didn't, I got out and walked.
POSTED BY JACQUE AT 3:26 PM


TUESDAY, JANUARY 03, 2006
karma across the pond

Our "current" favorite channel turned me on to a story from London about karma cabs.

A memorable ride om.
POSTED BY JACQUE AT 9:14 PM


SUNDAY, JANUARY 01, 2006
a happy new year taxi story

on new year's eve day, i took a taxi home after some last minute whole foods shopping in union square. the driver was quiet the whole time, no small talk or questions or warnings about not having change for a 20. nothing at all. until we stopped in front of my house and i handed him money for the cab fare. and that's when he decided to tell me this story: "last week, a cabbie got in a car accident and then the cab caught on fire. it was very very bad. it was in mahattan, you didn't hear about it? he tried to get out, but he couldn't. and no one came to help him, so he just burned to death slowly." then he handed me back my change and finished with a hearty, "ok, bye! have a happy new year!"
POSTED BY JAC O AT 7:46 PM


THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2005
my taxi driver last night was a woman!

i think.
POSTED BY JAC O AT 4:14 PM


SATURDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2005
jesus!

Happy to have been away during the strike, I offer this from you can't make it up, a really bad trip.
POSTED BY JACQUE AT 12:12 AM


WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2005
if it quacks like a taxi...

yesterday i took one of those weird extra long taxis. you know the kind that swerves in and out of traffic, barely missing bike messengers and old ladies. and makes so many herky stops and jerky starts that you need to lay down by the time you get where you're going. and that expects you to have exact change. and has a driver that tries to pick you up after he picks you up? except it wasn't yellow and there were people i didn't know in there with me. hmmm. i think i heard this one guy call it a "bus."
POSTED BY JAC O AT 2:48 PM

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2005
santa monica to west hollywood

I missed the photo op, but use your imagination. BEWARE OF DOG sign posted to the partition.
POSTED BY JACQUE AT 11:37 PM


TUESDAY, DECEMBER 06, 2005
big pimpin'


Thought I'd lost this one. Mr. Cab Driver was very proud of the designation.
POSTED BY JACQUE AT 7:32 PM


FRIDAY, DECEMBER 02, 2005
farmer's market, "the grove" back to west hollywood, @ 4:45 pm

The driver informed me, "Honestly, I have not slept in 36 hours. It is too much." I buckled my seatbelt. Then he observes the car in front of us and asks, "Who is driving?" Panic mounting, "It is a ghost. I pull over."

Not only in New York, kids. It's not only in New York.
POSTED BY JACQUE AT 7:10 PM


west hollywood to farmer's market, "the grove" @ 11:30am
I was subjected to 30 minutes of non-stop, commercial free disco. The driver had a Barbara Streisand keychain.
POSTED BY JACQUE AT 7:09 PM

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2005
the magic flute

about a year ago i took a cab very late at night into brooklyn from manhattan. a very friendly rasta man with fat dread locks picked me up. he was laid back and had a huge toothy smile (which would normally annoy me, but it just seemed so genuine coming from him.) he drove me through manhattan and over the williamsburg bridge, the whole time playing some crazy psychadelic flute dub on the stereo. i had a really trancendental experience slipping in and out of conciousness looking out over the city. the music getting more and more intense, the flute getting really trippy and jazzy. we finally pulled up to my house, and as i handed money forward, the track on the stereo faded out... except for the flute. the cab driver laid his instrument in his lap and begin going through his fanny pack for change.
yes... my cab driver had been playing the flute along with the track the entire ride. i don't know how he drove, i don't know how i survived, but as i got out of the cab, he handed me my change and, with narrow red slits of eyes and a thousand teeth in his head, he said "yeah, man. smile. it's all about the smiles, friend!" then, right before he pulled away, i swear to god, he yelled "irie."
POSTED BY CRABBY74 AT 12:23 PM


TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2005
the importance of good taxi karma

on sunday night i took a cab to avenue B and 13th and my fare came to $4.60. i handed the cab driver a 10 and a 1 and asked for an even 5 in return. he said, "but miss, you just handed me a fifty."
POSTED BY JAC O AT 7:23 PM


MONDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2005
hell, an undercover taxi

i passed one my way back from the deli the other night. i didn't notice anything strange at all, as he was sort of swerving down the road just like any other taxi cab... and then all of a sudden boom. the lights went on, the sirens went on, and he peeled out straight through a red stoplight. reaffirming my theory that the only people who drive worse than taxi cab drivers are cops.
POSTED BY JAC O AT 12:09 PM


SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2005
liquor is quicker

Jacque said she wanted to get a cab on 8th Avenue. I hailed a taxi, she meant a Sauvignon. We drove silently with it between us.
POSTED BY TOM AT 8:47 PM


SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2005
west village to union square, last night

"It is not of my fault where it smells as bad food."

- Hassain
POSTED BY JACQUE AT 10:54 AM


THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2005
I no longer ride...

I no longer ride in taxis. I have sold my soul and live in car country now, Los Angeles California. I do recall with my last NY cab ride though...

It was a magical moment. It was early in the morning And I was very hungover, maybe even still drunk as I hailed the cab. I slid into the backseat and asked to be driven to the airport. The driver, surprisingly a recent immigrant from south Asia, popped in a CD for us to listen to. And oh joy, what did I hear but the bold beautiful tones from the intro to Europe's hit "The Final Countdown". You know, Do Do Doot Do, Do Do Doot Do Do... A very special and dramatic way to leave NY after 11 years. Thank-you and good night.
POSTED BY SELLOUT AT 7:44 PM

seeing stars

we went straight from seeing 'stars', at north six, into a story about 'starship troopers', both the book and the movie. upon entering the cab, we (jac, jac, and myself) found a book in the back seat, and he demanded that we tell him what we found, i'm sure he wanted to see it in case it was something worth keeping. after showing him what we found, he began telling us about how he liked sci-fi books, and somehow ended up talking about 'starship troopers', all the way across the williamsburg bridge. luckily i got out right after we got across the bridge. jac and jac continued on...
POSTED BY NICK AT 6:18 PM


lower east to the far west, 6pm yesterday

two words: smooth jazz
POSTED BY JAC O AT 6:00 PM


MONDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2005
mid-town to west village, 3:30 pm

Oh joy. My cab driver decided to hit the gas in time with the music. Not as bad as the time I was offered a free massage with my fare, but nauseating nonetheless.
POSTED BY JACQUE AT 8:09 PM


where to begin?

I could begin this blog with horrific cab rides of days gone by. An early morning smash-up in Beijing. Strange noises coming from the trunk in Austin. But I'll let them go, as it seems lately I've been hearing of and experiencing more and more flat out shitty taxi experiences here in NYC. So please, feel free to share. I doubt anything will come from this bitching, but at least our friends won't have to listen to it anymore.
POSTED BY JACQUE AT 8:08 PM